Of course I am a believer in therapy. After years of seeing so many people for so many different issues I really don't think theres a person on this earth that wouldn't benefit from some sort of self reflection facilitated by someone who has been there and done that. However, many people suffer from mental health issues that arise from an imbalance of their system often cause by an overflow of stress. The stress then tips them into a spiral of feeling worse and worse and over the course of time they get unwell mentally if not physically also. The thing about physical health is that it can take an awfully long time before illness manifests or shows up on the doctors blood tests. Many people wander around in a state of sub-clinical health completely unaware of anything other than that they don't feel 'good'. This underlying unwellness will affect state of mind before anything else. If your body is suffering, how can your mind be happy?

What worries me about many people who enter my office suffering from symptoms of anxiety, depression or 'stressing out' is that they are not adhering to the basic principles of wellness. There are 3 very simple things everyone should implement in their life before they lift the phone to call for psychological help.

1. SLEEP - if you are not getting at least 7-8 hours a night (the majority of adults need this) you are likely to be crabby, lethargic, and less tolerant. Did you know that your brain detoxifies when you sleep? Just like your body, sleep is the time when the glymphatic system of brain actually detoxifies the metabolic debris of the brain leaving it ready for the next day. Not enough sleep and your brain is foggy, and a foggy brain does not make for a sunshiny mood.

2. DIET - Oh, yawn, I know you've heard it all before, but which diet? Well, I believe the right diet is very individual. One diet may be great for some people and that same diet can be terrible for another. One way you can't go wrong is simply to make sure you are getting enough real food. Fresh, unprocessed unpackaged unaltered food that you chew and allow time to digest. Sounds simple but so many people skip meals, eat on the run and men in particular are terrible chewers. Then theres the beverages. Overdoing red bull or coffee is going to make you jittery. Self medicating with alcohol is going to mess with your liver. And thats not even starting on the many people with leaky brain barriers who are sensitive to foods which can have a massive impact on mood.

3. EXERCISE - There is a huge amount of research and publicity for the benefits of exercise. Its the number one antidote for mild anxiety, depression and any other health condition you can think of. But how many people walk through my door that are not engaged in regular exercise! Exercise is a free anti-anxiety and anti-depressant. It helps with self regulation so your fuse is longer and your ability to return to baseline mood after an upset is faster. Also is aids in the production of BDNF - Brain derived neurotrophic factor, which is essential for neuro-plasticity the ability to learn and form new neuronal connections. I have seen many peoples mood problems, particularly anxiety, reduce significantly after they start exercising.

We all suffer from the busy bug, but as the saying goes, if we don't make time for good health now, then we better make time for illness later. Sadly between now and then many people are suffering from not feeling well on the inside.